6. Then Paul laid his hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them. They began speaking different languages and prophesying.
7. There were about 12 men in this group.
8. Paul went into the synagogue and spoke out boldly for three months. He talked with the Jews and persuaded them to accept the things he said about the kingdom of God.
9. But some of the Jews became stubborn and refused to believe. These Jews said evil things about the Way of Jesus. All the people heard these things. So Paul left them and took the followers with him. He went to a place where a man named Tyrannus had a school. There Paul talked with people every day
10. for two years. Because of his work, every Jew and Greek in Asia heard the word of the Lord.
11. God used Paul to do some very special miracles.
12. Some people took handkerchiefs and clothes that Paul had used and put them on the sick. When they did this, the sick were healed and evil spirits left them.
15. But one time an evil spirit said to these Jews, “I know Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
16. Then the man, who had the evil spirit in him, jumped on these Jews. He was much stronger than all of them. He beat them and tore their clothes off, so they ran away from the house.
17. All the people in Ephesus, Jews and Greeks, learned about this. They were filled with fear. And the people gave great honor to the Lord Jesus.
18. Many of the believers began to confess openly and tell all the evil things they had done.
19. Some of them had used magic. These believers brought their magic books and burned them before everyone. Those books were worth about 50,000 silver coins.
20. So in a powerful way the word of the Lord kept spreading and growing.
21. After these things, Paul made plans to go to Jerusalem. He planned to go through the countries of Macedonia and Southern Greece, and then on to Jerusalem. He said, “After I have been to Jerusalem, I must also visit Rome.”
22. Paul sent Timothy and Erastus, two of his helpers, ahead to Macedonia. He himself stayed in Asia for a while.
23. But during that time, there was some serious trouble in Ephesus about the Way of Jesus.